European stocks advanced as investors weighed corporate earnings from Electricite de France SA to Barclays Plc and the Federal Reserve began a two-day policy meeting.

The Stoxx Europe 600 Index added 0.2 percent to 299.55 at 4:35 p.m. in London. The gauge has rallied 5.1 percent in July, heading for the biggest gain since October 2011, as the Fed said it remains flexible on the pace of asset purchases. The U.S. central bank starts a two-day meeting today and the European Central Bank and the Bank of England announce policy decisions on Thursday.

National benchmark indexes advanced in 15 of the 18 western European markets today.

FTSE 100 6,570.95 +10.70 +0.16% CAC 40 3,986.61 +17.70 +0.45% DAX 8,271.02 +11.99 +0.15%

In the U.S., house prices increased by the most in more than seven years in May. The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values climbed 12.2 percent from a year earlier after advancing 12.1 percent in April.

EDF soared 6.8 percent to 21.61 euros, the highest price since November 2011, as the company reported a 3.5 percent increase in first-half profit on cold weather. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of 9.7 billion euros (12.9 billion) beat the 9.24 billion-euro median estimate of five analysts surveyed.

Alcatel-Lucent rallied 14 percent to 1.83 euros, the highest since March 2012, after reporting second-quarter sales and earnings that surpassed analysts’ estimates and saying Qualcomm Inc. agreed to buy a minority stake.

International Personal Finance Plc (IPF) jumped 15 percent to 652.50, the highest price since the company started trading on the London Stock Exchange in July 2007 after being split off from Provident Financial Plc. The home-credit business, which offers unsecured loans to low-income households in eastern Europe and Mexico, posted first-half pretax profit that beat estimates and announced a share buyback program.

Wacker Chemie AG jumped 9.6 percent to 76.08 euros, the highest price since February 2012. Europe’s largest polysilicon maker posted second-quarter earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization of 188.2 million euros, surpassing the 171.4 million-euro average estimate.

ITV Plc surged 6.7 percent to 167.6 pence, the highest price since the owner of the U.K.’s biggest commercial TV station started trading in February 2004, after reporting first-half sales of 1.31 billion pounds ($2 billion). That beat the 1.15 billion-pound average analyst forecast.

U.S. stock-index futures rose as Eastman Chemical Co. (EMN) and Aetna Inc. raised their forecasts for full-year profit and investors awaited results from the Federal Reserve’s two-day policy meeting.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei  13,869.82 +208.69 +1.53%

Hang Seng 21,953.96 +103.81 +0.48%

Shanghai Composite 1,990.06 +13.76 +0.70%

FTSE  6,578.85 +18.60 +0.28%

CAC  3,985.88 +16.97 +0.43%

DAX 8,283.34 +24.31 +0.29%

Crude oil $103.46 -1.04%

Gold $1321.20 -0.54%

Most European stocks advanced as investors weighed corporate earnings results and the Federal Reserve began a two-day policy meeting. U.S. index futures were little changed while Asian shares gained.

Electricite de France SA, Europe’s biggest power generator, rose 7.7 percent to 21.79 euros, the highest price in 20 months, as the company reported a 3.5 percent increase in first-half profit on cold weather. Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of 9.7 billion euros (12.9 billion) beat the 9.24 billion-euro median estimate of analysts.

Alcatel-Lucent SA, a French maker of phone equipment, rallied 7.6 percent to 1.72 euros, the highest since April 2012, after reporting second-quarter sales and earnings that surpassed analysts’ estimates and saying Qualcomm Inc. agreed to buy a minority stake.

FTSE 100 6,569.88 +9.63 +0.15%

CAC 40 3,973.65 +4.74 +0.12%

DAX 8,262.29 +3.26 +0.04%

Asian stocks rose, with the regional benchmark index heading for its first advance in five days, as Japanese exporters gained after the yen weakened, offsetting a bigger-than-estimated decline in Japanese factory output.

Nikkei 225 13,869.82 +208.69 +1.53%

Hang Seng 21,953.5 +103.35 +0.47%

S&P/ASX 200 5,047.24 +0.91 +0.02%

Shanghai Composite 1,990.06 +13.76 +0.70%

Toyota Motor Corp. climbed 2.9 percent in Tokyo as the yen’s weakness boosted the outlook for export income.

Daiwa Securities Group Inc., Japan’s second-largest brokerage, rose 3.3 percent after posting earnings that beat analyst estimates.

Jiangxi Copper Co., China’s biggest producer of the metal, dropped 3.5 percent in Hong Kong after copper futures declined.

Nikkei 225 13,661.13 -468,85 -3,32%

Hang Seng 21,890.02 -78,93 -0,36%

S & P / ASX 200 5,046.3 4,27 0,08%

Shanghai Composite -1,72 -34,54 1,976.31%

FTSE 100 6,560.25 +5.46 +0.08%

CAC 40 3,968.91 +0.07 0.00%

DAX 8,259.03 +14.12 +0.17%

Dow -36.78 15,522.05 -0.24%

Nasdaq -14.03 3,599.14 -0.39%

S&P -6.31 1,685.34 -0.37%